Review: girugämesh - ALIVE

After the divisive, electric serving that was "MUSIC", it wasn't hard to predict that their next single would follow in the electrorock style that they've been following so far along. The main problem with this single is that they don't move their style far along enough, and while Alive is initially satisfying, it's just more of the same.

01. Alive
02. Gamble

Don't get my thoughts wrong; Alive is still a solid track but it comes off as more of a leftover MUSIC track than a new style all their own. Had this been included on their MUSIC CD it would have been one of the best tracks out of the 12 they offered, and at a 35 minute run-time this was sorely needed (especially since it's over four minutes). But after a band releases an album, their next effort is to take that style and push it farther. girugamesh didn't do that here. It's more of the same girugamesh heaviness and somewhere along the line I feel like I've heard most of these riffs somewhere before. However, Alive does make use of less of the effects than some of the songs in MUSIC and makes listening to the track easier on the ears. So while it doesn't evolve their style, it's a good song. And that's it.

If Alive borrowed riffs, Gamble borrows sound structure. In a sort of mash-up between patchwork and Break Down along with a little Angry Juice thrown in, Gamble seems even more stale than it's predecessor, albeit with it's own original flavor thrown in. The chorus is also underwhelming and Gamble ultimately comes off as one of their weaker tracks, but then again it is a B-side.

In conclusion, Alive is just another release of two high energy tracks with little to no diversity from their predecessors. There's no immediate album coming up sometime soon but whatever may be in the works, they need to start sampling more gems like puzzle and less like Break Down. Diversity is key in any band and girugamesh is lacking some. Overall, this single gets a 3.5 out of 5.